Treatment of Effluent from Shrimp Farms Using Watermeal (Wolffia Arrhiza)
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R ESEARCH ARTICLE ScienceAsia 34 (2008): 163–168 doi: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2008.34.163 Treatment of effluent from shrimp farms using watermeal (Wolffia arrhiza) Tawadchai Suppadita*, Wisakha Phoochindaa, Saowanit Phutthilerphongb, and Chalida Nieobubpac a School of Social and Environmental Development, National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, 10240, Thailand. b TOA Paint (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Bangsaothong, King Amphur Bangsaothong, Samuthprakarn 10540, Thailand. c TEAM Consulting Engineering and Management Co., Ltd., Klong Kum, Bueng Kum, Bangkok 10230, Thailand. * Corresponding author, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Received 17 Oct 2007 Accepted 2 Jan 2008 ABSTRACT: Watermeal (Wollfia arrhiza) is a small aquatic plant which we have used to treat water from black tiger shrimp ponds. The relationship between watermeal biomass and treatment length, the changes in water quality parameters, and N-balance were evaluated for the treatment of black tiger shrimp farm effluent in low-salinity areas. A biomass of 12 g of watermeal per litre of shrimp farm effluent and a treatment period of 30 days were found to provide the best conditions for the growth of watermeal, and the quality of the treated effluent in terms of biological oxygen demands, suspended solids, total phosphorus, nitrate, total ammonia nitrogen, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen. The pH and salinity were similar for each level of biomass. The watermeal biomasses of 4–12 g per litre of effluent were suitable for watermeal survival over time. Since watermeal can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, it can grow very well in effluent containing a low level of nitrogen, maintaining the N-balance. KEYWORDS: biomass, Penaeus monodon, shrimp farm, water plant, water quality INTRODUCTION cause many environmental problems. These environmental problems include poor water quality Penaeus monodon or black tiger shrimp is and quantity, as well as a variety of pollutants in the an economic species cultured in several tropical water that are the result of substances used at each countries, including Thailand, yielding a high annual stage of shrimp production, preparation and cleaning revenue. Because of this, P. monodon culture has been of the ponds, rearing and harvesting of shrimp6. expanded from along the shoreline to brackish, and In each of these steps, the water can be contaminated then to low-salinity areas. In 1985, the area devoted with organic substances, discarded feed, soil sediment, to P. monodon culture in Thailand was about 408 km2 and plankton. Wastewater from shrimp ponds is and had increased to 744 km2 by 20041,2. Raising released into canals on the farm and/or public water P. monodon in low-salinity areas has been increasing sources where aquatic plants are found in abundance5. because this species of shrimp belongs to the It is possible that the aquatic plants could absorb Euryhaline group, which can survive well in variable organic substances from the wastewater allowing salinity ranging from 5–30 ppt, or even in almost pure farmers to recycle the water. Raising P. monodon in fresh water3. Normally, a salinity of 0–10 ppt hinders a water-recirculatory system is a way to lower the the growth of disease-causing bacteria that infect cost of production, lower the risk of infections, and freshwater and seawater animals. Accordingly, raising possibly increase the farmers’ income. P. monodon in low-salinity water can reduce the risk For all of these reasons, the idea of studying the of infection by Vibrio harveyi4, especially the type treatment of effluent fromP. monodon ponds by using with luminescent characteristics5. watermeal (Wolffia arrhiza (L.) Wimm) emerged. The As a result of the expansion of P. monodon culture plant grows in natural water sources. Apart from rapid into low-salinity areas, developments have been growth and reproduction, watermeal provides high made in husbandry methods. The traditional method, nutrition, especially protein, so it can be used to make the natural one, has given way to modern techniques animal feed, and is possibly even suitable for human which, without a proper management system, can consumption. www.scienceasia.org 164 ScienceAsia 34 (2008) MATERIALS AND METHODS from December 2005 to April 2006. Effluent totalling 1,100 l was randomly collected after the shrimp harvest. The quality of the effluent, the biomass of The water quality was analysed at the Faculty of the watermeal, the nitrogen-balance (N-balance) of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok prior to the effluent, and the watermeal were assessed in a the start of the experiment. Watermeal was obtained 5 x 3 factorial arrangement with 4 replications in a from local markets located at Muang District, completely randomized design, with the first factor Chaiyaphoom Province. This was washed, planted in being the watermeal biomasses of 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and clean water for 7 days, sampled randomly, and analysed 0.8 kg/50 l of effluent and the second factor being the for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) prior to the start of experimental time period of 10, 20, and 30 days. The the experiment. data were subjected to an analysis of variance and the The shrimp pond effluent was placed into comparisons among means were made using Duncan’s 20 black plastic containers (50 l/container). Varying new multiple range test of the Statistical Analysis weights of watermeal (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 kg) System (SAS version 6.12)7. were placed in the containers for each treatment The ponds were located at the Pichet Farm, (4 replications) and reared in an experimental house Bansang District, Prachinburi Province. A closed for 30 days. zero-water exchange system was used for the ponds in Effluent from each treatment was sampled at the low-salinity area. The experiment was carried out 10.00 a.m. at the start of the experiment and after 70 120 * * * * * * * * * * 60 100 50 0 kg/50 L 80 0 kg/50 L 40 0.2 kg/50 L 0.2 kg/50 L 0.4 kg/50 L 60 0.4 kg/50 L 30 0.6 kg/50 L SS (mg/L) 0.6 kg/50 L BOD (mg/L) 40 0.8 kg/50 L 20 0.8 kg/50 L 10 20 0 0 0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30 Days after Rx Days after Rx a b 1.0 * * * * * 0.8 * * * * * 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.7 0 kg/50 L 0 kg/50 L 0.5 0.6 0.2 kg/50 L 0.2 kg/50 L 0.5 0.4 kg/50 L 0.4 0.4 kg/50 L TP (mg/L) 0.4 0.6 kg/50 L 0.6 kg/50 L Nitrate (mg/L) 0.3 0.3 0.8 kg/50 L 0.8 kg/50 L 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30 Days after Rx Days after Rx c d 7 35 6 30 * * * * * 5 25 0 kg/50 L 0 kg/50 L 4 0.2 kg/50 L 20 0.2 kg/50 L 0.4 kg/50 L 0.4 kg/50 L 3 15 0.6 kg/50 L TKN (mg/L) 0.6 kg/50 L TAN (mg/L) * * * * * 0.8 kg/50 L 2 0.8 kg/50 L 10 1 5 0 0 0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30 Days after Rx Days after Rx e f – Fig. 1 BOD (a), SS (b), TP (c), NO3 (d), TAN (e) and TKN (f) at different watermeal biomasses and periods of treatment. * indicates p<0.05 vs other periods of treatment. www.scienceasia.org ScienceAsia 34 (2008) 165 10, 20 and 30 days. Water quality was analysed for 0.8 kg/50 l, the SS increased. The reasons for this biological oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids were the same as for the BOD. (SS), pH, salinity, total phosphorus (TP), nitrate – (NO3 ), total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), and TKN using pH standard methods8. In each replication, effluent was There was no significant difference (p>0.05) kept in one litre plastic bottles, cooled in an icebox, between the various watermeal biomass treatments and sent to the laboratory. At the end of the experiment, and the length of treatment time. It was also found that watermeal in each replication was filtered using a net in experimental units with 0.2–0.8 kg of watermeal, for about 5 min. The biomasses were obtained after the watermeal was still adapting to its environment and the effluent was sampled and analysed for TKN using its growth may have been in a lag phase. Therefore, the AOAC method9. its photosynthesis was incomplete and some of the The N-balance was studied from the total watermeal died, resulting in an accumulation of CO2, – 2– 2– 11 nitrogen in the system containing the TKN value NO3 , SO4 , PO4 and TAN . Although TAN caused in the effluent and the watermeal (before and after an increase in pH12, other compounds suspended the experiment), TKN losses due to volatilization, in the treated effluent caused it to decrease. As a transformation and collected water samples, and consequence, the treated effluent was in a slightly basic N fixation from the atmosphere by the watermeal. state. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Salinity As the biomass and treatment period increased, Biological oxygen demand the salinity of the treated effluent increased to 5.2–5.9 ppt The values of BOD at the starting biomasses from an initial salinity of 5.1 ppt (p<0.05). The of the watermeal when different treatment times were maximum salinity was 5.9 ppt when a watermeal applied were different (p<0.05) (Fig.